WINNIPEG, MB. – Winnipeg Jets legend Dale Hawerchuk sat down with Carter Brooks back in November to discuss all things hockey. The two touched on nearly everything from Dale’s time coaching current Winnipeg Jet, Mark Scheifele in the OHL, to an upcoming Budweiser promotion, Dale’s induction into the Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame, and his thoughts on Patrik Laine’s recent struggles. This conversation is one that you do not want to miss.

CB: Dale, can you tell me about the special event that will be happening on Tuesday, November 14th at Bell MTS Place?

DH: It’s actually pretty exciting, as I will be inducted into the Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame. I spent nine years as a player in Winnipeg and lived there for many years later. We used to own a cottage up in Gimli, so I have a special connection to Winnipeg and Manitoba. It’s a great honour from the Winnipeg Jets organization given to me on that night. It’s also quite ironic that the old franchise that I played for – the Arizona Coyotes – are the visiting team that night as well.

CB: What does this induction to the Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame mean to you, and more so, what does it mean to the city of Winnipeg – a place you spent so much time in past years?

DH: Personally, it is very special. I have always felt that close connection to Manitoba. Many years and many summers were spent all over the province playing slo-pitch games for charity or fund-raising golf tournaments. I really got to see a lot of the people of Manitoba throughout my career, so I have a close connection to that.

CB: We here in Winnipeg all know the Dale Hawerchuk of 1981 to 1997 but what is the Dale Hawerchuk of 2017 up to? Can you talk a little bit about Barrie and your position in the Ontario Hockey League?

DH: I am currently in my eighth year coaching the Barrie Colts of the OHL. I really enjoy what I do here. I love working with the younger kids that have the aspirations that I once had. They want to make it to the NHL. I’ve actually had guys like current Winnipeg Jets Mark Scheifele and Brendan Lemieux in the past. I really enjoyed working with them and hopefully teaching them what it takes to get to the next level.

CB: Dale, we all saw what Mark Scheifele did here against Dallas last night, but what some here in Winnipeg may not know are the stories from Mark’s OHL days in Barrie. Can you tell us something that we wouldn’t know about Mark’s time with the Colts?

DH: Mark is such a great kid – he was just so much fun to coach. What I love about Mark that some may not know is that he played for us in my first year – a year that we had one of the worst years in Colts history. I always told the team that there would be brighter days ahead, and they wont be far off if they kept working hard. By the next year Mark and another current NHLer, Tanner Pearson turned it around very quick.

Mark was just one of those guys that just lit up everybody when he walked into the room. He just couldn’t wait to get to work on the ice. Even after our games or practices I would remember Mark working out in the weight room and he would be challenging other guys with pushups or sprints or or riding the bike. He’d always say stuff like, “If you don’t do this many pushups, you aren’t going to make the show.”

CB: Hey well he still does all of that right now, as I see him after practices and games heading straight to the weight room for workouts with or without his teammates.

DH: Oh I wouldn’t doubt it – old habits die hard.

CB: You spent a lot of time in Winnipeg as a player, can you tell me a little bit about what the city of Winnipeg was like back in the 1980s and 90s?

DH: Well on the ice obviously I was proud to be a part of a big turnaround by the Jets – I was the first pick and that was great, but we turned that team around pretty quick. We became a playoff contender and a cup contender, but looking back on it I was very lucky to go to Winnipeg. It was the perfect place for me; Winnipeg taught me so much about the game. John Ferguson was our General Manager and he had a ton of passion for the game. He loved the city of Winnipeg as well.

Then off the ice doing community events was great. Obviously you are very recognizable in Winnipeg if you are a Jets player, but just talking to the fans was great. They all have their opinion, but you’ve got to love it. When you’re trying to be an NHLer, all you’re thinking about is hockey. It was kind of fun just talking to the people off the ice about the Jets and just hockey in general.

CB: You touched on being selected first overall back 1981. In 1982 you won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year with the Winnipeg Jets. Right now Patrik Laine is the talk of the town in Winnipeg. He was a high-end draft pick and made a run for the Calder Trophy himself, but he just recently admitted that he’s struggling – What would you say to Laine right now?

DH: It’s interesting because I was reading about how he said hockey has been difficult over the past little while, and I certainly remember those times. I remember having those two-week stretches where I just couldn’t seem to get anything going. Instead of pushing so hard to get a goal, I always felt the best thing to do was to just get back to the process and do the little things right.

All of a sudden a puck will go in off your rear end or shin-pad and then like magic your hands will loosen up and your eyes will see the whole ice better. I know Laine scored last night, but hopefully he is feeling that today where everything is just that much better.

CB: Well there’s some great advice for young Patrik. You began skating very young I understand, would you have any pointers or tips for the young hockey hopefuls of 2017?

DH: When you’re young it’s all about skating. I skated a lot. Whether it was on a pond or on a road, I just did it all the time. Hockey was all I wanted to do. You have to have fun, and if you have a passion you keep the fun in the game. Mark Scheifele is a great example of that. If things go well or not, you still can’t wait to get up the next day and do it again. You never want to break that spirit of young kids that want to play the game like that. Of course they’re going to make mistakes, but sometimes it’s better to let them figure it out themselves. When you figure things out on your own, you take that with you forever.

CB: Some things that you have taken with you forever are QMJHL Championships, Memorial Cups, Canada Cups and a lot of All Star Team selections. Can you tell me what your favourite accomplishment in the hockey world has been?

DH: Oh boy. Well I still remember the first time skating out at the old Winnipeg Arena for my first game. I was like “wow, this is it!” I know all of us kids out playing street hockey wanted to make the NHL… well I was the only one that made it, but that moment was pretty special.

Of course there are other things: your first goal, your fiftieth, the whiteouts in the playoffs. One of the best feelings is winning championships, but it’s all been great.

There is nothing better than lighting the lamp and scoring goals.

CB: Speaking of lighting the lamp, can you touch on Lighting Up Winnipeg and how tomorrow’s (Tuesday November, 14th, 2017) game will look in relation to Budweiser’s latest promo?

DH: Well it’s the first event of its kind in Winnipeg, and the first 13,000 fans of legal drinking age will receive a Budweiser Jets goal-synched glass. When the Jets come out for the start of the game they are all going to light up, and then after that, every time they score a goal they will light up as well. The underage people get LED bracelets, so everybody will have something to light up.

I think it’s going to be really exciting for the fans. Budweiser has always had passion for the game, and they really want to elevate that when a goal is scored. Our Jets fans are going to have that opportunity on Saturday. If the Jets score a pile of goals it will certainly be a well-lit arena that’s for sure!

CB: Well if they score goals on Saturday like they have been doing the past little while it should be a very bright place. Did you ever imagine in your wildest dreams the thought of goal-synched beer glasses?

DH: Well, we sort of had it back in the day. I guess it was a little more organic when we had the whiteouts in the playoffs, but this is the tech world now, and this is one way to really light it up. Coming out for some of those playoff games it was pretty bright in the arena – it really got the players charged up. So I think this will do the same thing, maybe even at a bigger level. Hopefully the Jets will light the lamp and brighten up that building – It will be a lot of fun.

CB: Well thank you Dale, I look forward to seeing you later on at Bell MTS Place for your induction in the Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame.

DH: Hey sounds good, light up that building tomorrow.

– Carter Brooks for The Manitoba Post

Photos supplied